1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a system and method for processing wafers in a wafer-processing tool, and more particularly to scheduling the movement of wafers in the wafer-processing tool.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wafer-processing tools may be utilized in various stages of fabricating semiconductor devices from semiconductor wafers. Conventional wafer-processing tools typically include one or more processing stations or modules in which semiconductor wafers undergo various processing operations. For example, a wafer-processing tool can include a Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) module to form a film on the surface of the wafers.
Wafer-processing tools also typically include a control system to automate the processing of multiple wafers. However, conventional control systems for wafer-processing tools typically process the wafers in accordance with a predetermined program that specifies the order of operations to be performed in which the execution of one operation initiates the execution of another operation. These conventional systems, however, often need to be manually adjusted or reprogrammed to process different batches of wafers. This can be both time and cost prohibitive.
The present invention generally relates to a system and method for processing wafers in a wafer-processing tool. In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the wafer-processing tool includes a load module, a wafer-transfer unit, a process module, and a scheduler. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the scheduler is configured to generate a schedule for the movement of wafers in the wafer-processing tool based on the duration of the operations to be performed by the wafer-transfer unit and the process module in processing the wafers.